Identifying untruthful information and avoiding sharing fake news is an essential 21-century skill. By tapping into students’ creativity and imagination, maker education can be a helpful tool in teaching how to recognize fake news.
School libraries are for everyone; they need to be a place that is ever changing in response to their students’ and teachers’ needs. Each school community is unique, however, a makerspace in a school library has the power to become a game-changing tool and resource, especially when it taps into district initiatives. One of the most enduring district initiatives that seems to be important across the country is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and when you take those skills and put them in a Makerspace you not only have a great reason to advocate for the significance of libraries but more importantly you provide students with skills to become empathetic and good people prepared for an ever-changing world.
I agree with Mark Hatch, author of Maker Movement Manifesto who said “Making is fundamental to what it means to be human. We must make, create, and express ourselves to feel whole.” Maker education brings the essentials of how humans learn back into everyday education. Being a mom of two boys who love to tinker, I often pair our making activity with a book. It is a great way to keep the conversation going and remind them that failure is an important part of the process of creating. Books with characters who identify problems and find a solution through trial-and-error can be very inspiring for children. There have been more and more books published that inspire making. Here are some of my favorites.
[originally published on MackinCommunity.com] As humans, we are moved to make things, using our hands and our brains. The school library can provide an outlet for all students to fuel engagement, creativity, and curiosity at the same time. A Makerspace in a school library is powerful. Here are five factors to keep in mind when … Continue reading 5 Factors to keep in mind when offering Makerspace experiences in the Library
KATY TESSMAN 